The present invention relates generally to medical devices and methods, and in one aspect relates to a tissue graft material comprising tissue material that has been remodeled in a body cavity and isolated from the body cavity for use. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a prosthetic device, for example, an implantable valve device, comprising such a tissue graft material.
Tissue grafting is one method of medically treating diseased or damaged tissue. One form of tissue grafting is vascular grafting, which can for example be used to repair or replace heart valves or venous valves, or portions thereof, in patients. It is well understood in human pathology that the proper functioning of cardiac and venous valves is of the utmost importance. Numerous studies have shown that diseased cardiac valves cause significant morbidity and mortality and that incompetent or destroyed venous valves often result in adverse medical conditions, especially in the lower extremities.
By preventing retrograde blood flow, the valves found throughout the venous system assist the flow of blood through the veins and returning to the heart. Venous valves are usually of the bicuspid type, with each cusp or leaflet forming a reservoir for blood, which, under pressure, forces the free edges of the cusps together to permit mostly antegrade blood flow to the heart. As a majority of venous blood flow is against gravity while a person is standing, incompetent or destroyed venous valves can cause significant medical problems in the legs, ankles, and feet. There are at least two chronic venous diseases in which venous valve incompetence is thought to be an important factor: chronic venous insufficiency and varicose vein syndrome.
Chronic venous insufficiency involves venous hypertension and chronic venous stasis due to valvular incompetence. It has been estimated that in the United States chronic venous insufficiency associated with skin changes and ulcers affects six to seven million people. Varicose vein syndrome involves vein dilation or enlargement. According to another estimate, varicose veins affect about 4% of the adult western population, and approximately half of this population has significant varicose vein syndrome for which treatment will be sought.
Turning now to the cardiovascular system, incompetent or destroyed heart valves are a common form of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Although reconstructive surgery has been shown to be superior to valve replacement surgery in some respects, it is difficult to perform and not always possible in every patient. As a result, the vast majority of patients with diseased heart valves undergo valve replacement surgery, which involves removing a native valve and replacing it with a prosthetic one. Prosthetic heart valves come in various shapes and sizes and can be formed with a variety of materials. Often, the design of a prosthetic valve depends on the characteristics of the valve being replaced (e.g., mitral, aortic, tricuspid, or pulmonary) and/or the size of the patient's heart.
A variety of prosthetic valves have been developed in the art to treat conditions of the vascular system. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,833 discloses a multiple-sided medical device comprising a closed frame of a single piece of wire or other resilient material and having a series of bends and interconnecting sides. The device has both a flat configuration and a second, folded configuration that comprises a self-expanding frame. The device is pushed from a delivery catheter into the lumen of a duct or vessel. A covering of fabric or other flexible material is sutured or attached to the frame to form an artificial valve. The flexible material utilized in the disclosed valves can be comprised of collagenous submucosa obtained from various animals, such as, for example, pigs, cattle, and sheep. The submucosal material can be prepared in large, flat sheets, which are subsequently cut and attached to a framing element, for example a stent, for deployment in a vein.
Apart from vascular applications such as those discussed above, tissue graft materials and techniques have been used to treat a wide variety of diseased or damaged tissues, including for instance musculoskeletal tissues such as bone, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, neural tissues, dermal tissues and many others.
There remain needs for improved and/or alternative graft materials and grafting devices suitable for implantation in the body. The present invention is addressed to those needs.